Join Marblehead’s Community Development and Planning Department as we host the Annual Perambulation of Marblehead’s lesser-known public walks and pathways on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. This year’s perambulation will feature the public ways on Marblehead Neck. For details see the Town’s website or click here.
Links to videos on Black heritage in Marblehead have been added to the Resources page in the Research section of the website. “The Inclusive History Project: Black Heritage in Marblehead” comprises a series of short video clips produced by the Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT). MRJT has a goal to increase awareness about people of color, and the videos give MRJT’s take on individuals and events during several periods in Marblehead’s history.
Abbot Hall Gift Shop is opening!
The Town of Marblehead Historical Commission announces that its Gift Shop in Abbot Hall will open just after Memorial Day and invites you to visit.
The Abbot Hall Gift Shop is THE place in Town to find the perfect Marblehead-related gift or souvenir. The Gift Shop has Marblehead-themed hats, post cards, note cards, notepads, calendars, mugs and glassware, braided rope-work kits…and much more.
It is also the best place in town to find Marblehead related fiction and non-fiction books. The Shop will soon have copies available of the exciting new book about Marblehead’s Glover’s Regiment by Patrick O’Donnell, The Indispensables.
While you are in the Gift Shop, be sure to check out the extensive museum display of Marblehead Pottery as well as a collection of Marblehead duck decoys, including many made by famed decoy-maker Gerald Smith.
The Abbot Hall Gift Shop is located on the first floor of the building and will be open weekdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. For the time-being, nose and mouth covering masks are required to be worn in Abbot Hall, including the Gift Shop.
The Abbot Public Library has digitized more than 140 years of the Marblehead Reporter/Messenger – a great resource for Marblehead historians and genealogists! Read all about it here: https://marblehead.wickedlocal.com/news/20190723/abbot-public-library-digitizes-marblehead-reportermessenger
Thanks to US Navy Commander David Smith, a part of Old Ironsides is now part of America’s history that is on display in Abbot Hall. The 1,500 lb piece of the ship was moved into a custom-built cradle and is now on display in the lower floor of Abbot Hall.
Moving the bowsprit into Abbot Hall
Take a virtual tour of Abbot Hall with your guide, Chris Johnston, Chairman of the Marblehead Historical Commission. Learn more about Benjamin Abbot’s gift to Marblehead and some of the special features of this historic building that you may not have noticed before. Inside Abbot Hall was created by Jenna Comins-Addis and has been posted on the Marblehead Historical Commission’s new YouTube channel. Take the tour!
Shipyard Part 1 Survey documents are now complete and available for downloading. Three documents have been posted: the Shipyard Part 1 Final Report, the Shipyard Part 1 Survey Property List, and the Shipyard Part 1 Inventory Map.
This project, the first of a two-phase effort, recorded architectural, historical and photographic documentation for 68 properties in the Shipyard District for individual properties and two areas on inventory forms provided by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC).
The objectives of the survey were to retrieve information relevant to historic properties, their owners and builders, organize it in narratives that are accessible and informative to a variety of users, and provide assessments of significance that contribute to local and state preservation planning.
The Marblehead Recreation and Parks Commission has received a grant of $33,000 from the Shattuck Fund to restore the Oil House and various walkways at the Lighthouse. They have engaged Peter Rice to do the restoration.
According to the Inspection report of the 2nd District, Department of Commerce of February 12, 1910, who were in charge of all lighthouses at the time, the Marblehead Oil House was built in 1907. It was built of brick at a location 189” southwest of the Tower. The inside dimensions were 8’ – 8” x 10’ – 8”, and it was designed to hold about 450 gallons of oil in 5-gallon cans.
Why oil houses? The Department of Commerce, after seeing multiple lighthouses burn down or blow up, decided it was time to store the flammables elsewhere rather than in the lighthouse. It was common to store the whale oil, kerosene, gas, and hard lard (for back up if everything else fails) in the light itself. So after the turn of the century you will see oil houses at almost all lighthouses.
Marblehead Reporter: A piece of Mary Alley Comes Home.
Oct. 5th article on the Mary Alley fireplace surround and its future installation in the Widget Road municipal building.
Click here to see the article on the Wicked Local web site:
http://marblehead.wickedlocal.com/news/20171004/piece-of-marbleheads-own-mary-alley-comes-home
Read more Press clippings.
Welcome to the new version of the Marblehead Historical Commission web site. Improving the look and usability of the site was important, but the key reason for change was to make it easier to search the archives. As the stewards for an amazing archive of historical artifacts, images, and documents for the Town of Marblehead, we serve a range of researchers from the professional to the merely curious, but searching the archive was just too difficult. Not anymore!
New software now makes it possible for the entire archive to be searched either from Google or from our Search page. From the latter, you can search with just a word or two, or you can narrow your search by adding search criteria and categories. Give the new search a try and let us know how you like it.
Another reason for updating the site is the increased use of smart phones and tablets to access the site. More people are browsing and searching for information from their handheld devices with smaller screens, so the old designs for web sites just didn’t work as well. Our updated site is designed to accommodate screens of all sizes and to show the information in a layout that is appropriate to your screen.
For those who want to stay current with upcoming events related to our Town’s history, we have also introduced a calendar that will show not only upcoming events for the Historical Commission, but also events to be held by other organizations that are likely to be of interest. For those who like to look back, our calendar also contains highlighted dates from Marblehead’s history so you can learn Marblehead’s fascinating stories day-by-day throughout the year.
Finally, we’ve tried to provide lots more information for both residents and visitors who want to see and experience Marblehead’s rich history. For historic structures and places and for Marblehead’s numerous museums, there are now maps to guide you there, pictures to show you what you’ll find, and descriptions to help you understand the historical importance.
While the renovation of the site was a large project, we plan to continue make incremental enhancements in the future. As you use the new site, please provide your feedback so we can add the right information in a way that you find usable, fun, and informative. Send us comments at mailto:historic@marblehead.org
